Smith v. State

216 S.E.2d 789, 218 Ga. 216, 1962 Ga. LEXIS 467
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 9, 1962
Docket21697
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 216 S.E.2d 789 (Smith v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. State, 216 S.E.2d 789, 218 Ga. 216, 1962 Ga. LEXIS 467 (Ga. 1962).

Opinions

Grice, Justice.

Sammie Lee Smith, found guilty of murder without a recommendation and sentenced, assigned error upon the denial of his motion for new trial. He was indicted by the grand jury of Houston County for the July 10, 1960, murder of Jerry Cooper and was tried in the superior court of that county on August 24 and 25, 1960.

The victim, an elderly man, was found dead in his home in the City of Perry, Houston County, on the late afternoon of July 10, 1960, by a neighbor. His body, clad partially in pajamas, was lying on the floor in his bedroom with considerable coagulated blood leading from his throat. Summoned to the scene immediately were the coroner, law enforcement officers and the county medical examiner. The latter testified upon the trial that the cause of death was a wound extending entirely across the upper portion of the neck, made by a “pretty good sized knife.” He estimated that death had resulted within some seven minutes and had occurred between 13% and 14 hours previous to his examination, which was at approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 10, 1960.

The defendant first denied being in the locality for the several days preceding and following the crime but later admitted he stabbed Cooper several times with a knife. He persisted in this admission but his versions as to what prompted the stabbing varied. The version upon which he relied at the trial was self-defense. In this he contended that at some time between midnight and dawn of Sunday, July 10, 1960, he went to Cooper’s house, knocked, awakened him, entered the door Cooper opened, played cards with him, won his money and received his watch in pawn; and that when about to leave he was assailed by Cooper hitting him with a chair and, finding a knife in the room, picked it up, cut Cooper several times and left.

His other version, given in an oral statement to officers and relied upon by the State at the trial, was one of burglary, robbery and murder. In urging that this was the correct version, the State relied upon the defendant’s losing his money in a [218]*218card game earlier that night, his presence in the vicinity of Cooper’s house at the estimated time of death, a freshly cut screen from Cooper’s bedroom window, the defendant’s possession of Cooper’s watch shortly after the homicide, and a statement by the defendant which was consistent with this contention.

Testimony and documentary evidence as to the victim’s body when found, physical facts at the scene of the homicide, testimony as to the facts referred to in the preceding paragraph, and the admission and confession of the defendant constituted the evidence submitted by the State. The defense introduced evidence regarding the defendant’s conduct and activities immediately before and after the killing and the defendant made an unsworn statement setting up his self-defense contention, as already indicated. Apparently there were no eyewitnesses to the homicide.

Following the jury’s verdict of guilty and sentence by the court, the defendant filed his amended motion for new trial consisting of the general and six special grounds.

Number four of the special grounds, urging refusal of the court to permit the defendant to be asked questions by his counsel, was disapproved, the trial judge reciting that “there was no motion or request by counsel for movant in open court to propound questions to movant during the course of his statement to the court and jury.” In the brief filed in the defendant’s behalf counsel acknowledged that, for the foregoing reason, this ground cannot be urged. Accordingly, it will not be considered.

Special ground 6, averring that the court erred in charging that “proof of the corpus delicti, that is, proof that a crime has been committed as alleged in the indictment by someone may be sufficient corroboration of a free and voluntary confession; but I charge you that in all cases the amount of corroboration of a confession which is necessary to authorize a conviction is a question solely for the jury to determine,” was not unconditionally approved by the trial judge. His order recited that “Special Ground Number 6 of the foregoing amended motion for new trial is certified as approved subject to the following certification and note of the court: The entire charge of the court on the subject of confessions was given by the [219]*219court at the specific written request of counsel for movant. The portion of the charge as is set out and quoted in this ground of the amended motion was given verbatim by the court as requested in writing by counsel for movant.” Under these circumstances, in view of repeated rulings, this ground presents nothing for review. Andrews v. State, 196 Ga. 84 (11, 14) (26 SE2d 263).

Remaining for determination are the general grounds, a special ground relating to alleged improper handling of the jury during an overnight recess, a special ground complaining of the court’s charge to the jury, one urging that the court should have charged upon involuntary manslaughter, and one insisting that it erred in admitting into evidence incriminatory statements and confessions of the defendant.

We first assess the general grounds. The evidence recited above as the basis of the State’s contentions, including the defendant’s admission and confession as ruled admissible in Division 5 of this opinion, amply support the jury’s verdict which has the approval of the trial judge. Those grounds are, therefore, without merit.

Special ground 1, complaining, in several particulars, of improper handling of the jury during an overnight recess, involves no substantial dispute as to the facts but diverse conclusions from those facts. The trial judge recited that the State’s counter-showing as to these complaints was without conflict with any evidence offered by the defendant and was true and correct. He found that no irregularities or misconduct took place and ruled that this ground was without merit.

The contentions as to separation of the jury and attendance by the bailiffs are inter-related and may be treated together. The gist of them is that the jury did not remain together in one room during the overnight recess but occupied several different rooms on the same floor of a hotel, and although a bailiff was stationed in the hallway into which all such rooms led, the room doors remained closed during the night and, therefore, a bailiff was not in attendance and remaining with the jury, as the law requires.

From the affidavits submitted, the trial judge was authorized [220]*220to find as follows: that there was no place, with beds and other necessary facilities, available in the county where twelve jurors could be housed overnight in one room; that the jury were assigned to and occupied eight rooms on the third floor of the New Perry Hotel; that two bailiffs were assigned two adj oining rooms; that all of the foregoing rooms were located on one hallway on the third floor of his hotel; that the connecting rooms occupied by the jurors connected only with rooms occupied by other jurors; that the foregoing housing separated the jury from other persons and any outside influences; that the only exit from rooms thus occupied by the jurors was through doors opening into the hallway; and that one of the two bailiffs was stationed in this hallway and remained awake at all times while the jurors were so housed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
216 S.E.2d 789, 218 Ga. 216, 1962 Ga. LEXIS 467, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-state-ga-1962.